Chat with an old electrician made me rethink how I wire alarm panels

I was on a job last week in Portland, swapping out a panel from the 90s. The homeowner's electrician buddy was there fixing a light switch. He saw me bundling wires and said 'you know, I've seen more false alarms from tidy wiring than messy wiring.' He explained how tight bundles can create induction issues on longer runs. I never thought of that. I always tried to make it look clean. Has anyone else heard this or run into problems with neat wiring causing interference?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_adam26d ago

Has anybody looked at how tight bundles mess with the resistance readings on data loops for z-wave or hardwire zones? It's not just about induction, that neat wiring can trap moisture and heat too, which ages the insulation faster. Seems like a little slack does more than just prevent crosstalk.

grace_allen26d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, @the_adam's right about that moisture trap. I started leaving loops in my panels and false alarms dropped.